How MGroup Services cut its street works planning time to under 12 minutes

Planning street works successfully is no mean feat. Utility companies typically have to consult a significant volume of datasets, each split across different environments and systems, before they can dig their first hole — taking up operational time and budget, particularly on surveying services. Not only is this process resource-intensive; it can mean data is missed — resulting in reduced productivity, increased likelihood of health, safety, and environmental risks being missed at the planning stage, and ultimately more disruption for road users.

To help eliminate these challenges, we joined forces with MGroup Services (formerly Morrison Utility Services, or MUS) and Yorkshire Water back in 2018 to develop Works Planning: our desktop risk assessment tool for integrated streetworks planning. Ever since, M Group has been using our full suite of coordination tools to plan, coordinate, and communicate its street works.

Working with M Group to improve traffic management planning

Our Utilities Business Development Manager, Matt Bright, has been working hand in hand with MGroup’s street works team to create a sustainable implementation plan, starting with a goal of delivering 30–40% of M Group’s traffic management plans through one.network.

Together, one.network and MGroup have created a single central repository of all traffic management plans, accessible at all times both in the office and onsite via mobile devices. In addition, we’ve provided full visibility of a wide-ranging set of risk factors at each works site, via a ‘virtual survey’ view. We’ve also helped improve MGroup’s relationships with local authorities, by giving it the ability to visualise and share street works live from the one.network map.

Thanks to the one.network Works Planning tool, the MGroup street works team has now managed to double its initial target for plan delivery, hosting 80% of their plans on one.network. In fact, according to Head of Creative Thinking Mike Scott Paul, the group mapped a whopping 45,000 streetworks on one.network in 2020 alone, by cutting its traffic management planning time down from a week to less than 12 minutes.

Working with M Group to reduce aborted works and minimise costs

Using one.network’s smart Clash and Coordination technology, MGroup is able to view comprehensive information about current and planned street works, alongside relevant operational data such as lane rental schemes, Section 58 restrictions, bridges and structures, and bus stops and routes.

Clash detection is automated, allowing the MGroup street works team to see where works are already taking place, and plan its own street works at a time which will cause the least disruption to the road network.

Using this tool, MGroup has reduced the number of aborted jobs and minimised costly delays, often caused by concurrent excavation works due to digging on wrongly located mains. This has led to increased collaborative working through using the same excavation as other parties, which in turn has reduced disruption and decreased permitting costs.

Head of Operational Change at MGroup, James Hatt told us:

“[This technology] enables our operational teams to conduct more comprehensive risk assessments and offer a more environmentally-friendly way of working, which is a huge consideration for our organisation and the clients we work on behalf of.”

Not only has one.network technology helped MGroup reduce aborted works, decrease costs and increase collaborative working, but it has also helped it reach its eco-friendly goals.

Curious?

If you’re interested in hearing more about Works Planning, Clash & Coordination, and our other coordination and communication tools, just get in touch. Our team is excited to show you how one.network can help increase your streetworks planning productivity.